S02.E08: Beyond The Tank Episode 208

[yeswedo]

 

The founder of Turbopup, a complete canine meal protein bar from season 6, travels to New York to seek advice from Daymond John. Lori Greiner visits the entrepreneurs behind Drop Stop, a neoprene sleeve that stops objects from falling between car seats, which she championed in season 4. Finally, Kevin O'Leary travels to Raleigh, North Carolina to confer with the co-owners of Frill, who made a deal with Kevin and Barbara Corcoran in season 6 for their custom sorority "rush" dresses.

 

[seacliffsal]

I think that people assume that they will get way more help from the Sharks than they actually get. Turbo-pup woman just seemed to have no clue what to do. One the Fetch guy told her what to do, she moved ahead. However, she had some big opportunities after the Tank that she did not move forward on as she just seemed directionless (i.e. the 100,000 bars a month for service dogs that she did not follow up on).

The Frill girls seemed to have a good small business but wanted too much too quickly. I'm glad that they dropped their bridal division (good advice Kevin). But I'm really surprised how many samples they sent to sororities for a look-see (11). Kevin actually gave what I thought was good advice. I was surprised that Barbara didn't make an appearance.

I don't know what's up at Drop Stop if they sold $10,000,000 in product but didn't draw a salary. None of Lori's advice addressed that issue (she just spoke about expanding more and hiring someone). I think there's a lot they didn't show us if those guys aren't getting paid with what seems to be a lot of sales. Oh, when they spoke about going after people who were trying to knock off their product I had the thought that I bet they wish they had Kevin as a partner as he would absolutely be delighted to go off the patent violators!

[Saylii]

The Drop Stop guys have to be getting paid somehow, even if it's not called a traditional "salary". They had a pretty heavy focus on paying back all the friends and family that lended them money, so they may be doing regular dividends in which they get a share.

[Gregg247]

I enjoyed Kevin's meeting with the Frills owners, because he gave them some really good advice on growing the business in a structured, realistic way.  I thought they were going to start crying a couple of times, but I give them credit for realizing that Kevin's goal is to help them learn and grow.  Also, his explanation as to why the bridal business was a mistake made good common sense, and you could see the lightbulb turn on over their heads as they discussed it.  Plus, the viewing party looked like fun!

 

I felt like I learned something from that segment of the show.

 

Drop Stop has shipped 2 million units, and they STILL don't have even a part-time intern?!?!  Either these guys have some incredible control issues or they're the cheapest people on the face of the Earth!  At least pay somebody minimum wage to stick the product into the cardboard box.  Do they really need to control that aspect of the business as well?

[starri]

Are the Drop Stop guys a couple?  I don't remember thinking that when they were on originally, but REALLY thinking it when we were catching up.

 

I really liked the TurboPup woman when she was on originally.  But this was anti-climatic, because IIRC we've seen an update segment in an episode this season, and she was about eight months pregnant, so it was clearly filmed after this.  Unless I'm totally crazy, which is entirely possible at the moment.

 

I'm kind of surprised Kevin didn't want to try and bring Frill's bridal stuff into his other wedding behemoth.  I mean, bridesmaids' dresses don't seem that far removed from the Sorority-Wear.  Also, they annoyed me as much this time as the last.

[bilgistic]

I couldn't figure out the Drop Stop dudes' deal. They referred to their parents (one of them said something about the mother saying "my boys", which I took to mean sons), but they look like one of them is the milkman's kid. They look NOTHING alike. The giant PC monitor in the living room and their matching tank tops...I mean, what? The family all looked like the darker haired guy, but another guy in the family was balding. I was just so confused.

It's not that I care what anyone's relationship is, but it was like those Magic Eye pictures from the 1990s. What am I looking at here? My brain was trying to work it out the whole time.

I'm feeling very judgmental about those sorority chicks, though. Those clothes look like the Easter Bunny barfed all over the place. A major staple of my wardrobe is black, so I'm definitely not a customer of Frill. I don't pay for friendship, so there's that, too.

I'd like to know how Miss Lilly Pulitzer is affording her wardrobe and highlights (and everything else in life) on $1000 a month. I'll sit down now.

[starri]

It's not that I care what anyone's relationship is, but it was like those Magic Eye pictures from the 1990s. What am I looking at here? My brain was trying to work it out the whole time

They're not brothers.  They don't have the same last name, and on their (really ugly) website, their bio (which is really vague about their relationship) only refers to the deaths of the one guy's parents.

 

So no, I don't care what they do in private either, but after the reveal that they live together, I couldn't help but wonder if the show was trying to avoid telling us something.

 

 

I'd like to know how Miss Lilly Pulitzer is affording her wardrobe and highlights (and everything else in life) on $1000 a month. I'll sit down now.

I'm going to guess the same way she afforded her sorority dues.  Her parents have credit cards, why shouldn't she use them?

 

I am a terrible person.

[bilgistic]

starri, we can keep each other company in Hell.

[Kiss my mutt]

Turbo pup could do with a packaging makeover. It doesn't stand out or eye catching to me. I was surprised she hadn't sold more after the show though.

Of course the sorority girls are getting help from their parents. No way is $1000 a month going to cover their salon visits and Lily Pulitzer clothing.

[columbot]

All I learned from this episode was that nobody knows how to pronounce "sorority".

 

"We sell Sororry dresses that a great for all Sowory events. All of your Sorrey sisters will love our clothes!"

[Amarsir]

On 4/6/2016 at 9:27 AM, seacliffsal said:

I think that people assume that they will get way more help from the Sharks than they actually get. Turbo-pup woman just seemed to have no clue what to do. One the Fetch guy told her what to do, she moved ahead.

That's a very good observation. But I have to confess I was rooting against her in that segment. Purely on the hopes that we would get to hear Daymond say "Stop trying to make Fetch happen. It's not going to happen."

By the way, has the word "failure" just dropped out of the English lexicon? I believe in the prior episode the Treasure Chest lady called her business "a fail", and then here I definitely heard Kevin say "the Bridal division is completely a fail".  Ugh. That phrasing is bad enough on tumblr memes. I don't need it from my sharks.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Amarsir